Around 60 Portlanders remembered Critical Mass last Friday. While that number may seem low, it was the biggest turnout the ride has seen in many months.
After seeing signs of a resurgence, I showed up to Friday’s ride (for the first time in over a year) to see how it would go.
We met under the Burnside Bridge and, with no cops in sight, the mood was vintage Critical Mass. I chatted with friends, met a few new ones, and passed out Bike Bulletins (thanks Carl).
Just before the ride began, we were treated to a human pyramid, a feat of acrobatics that seemed to set the tone of the night.
As we rolled out (still sans cops), the folks at the front of the pack led us on a random, looping excursion through downtown. Shouts of “Happy Friday” rang out along with our bike bells and the mood was mellow.
With about 60 or so riders, we had enough of a mass to roll through stop signs and stop lights without too much trouble. Folks stepped up and corked intersections when necessary, and there were no problems with downtown traffic.
I pulled off a bit early, but heard later that the ride swung up to the Convention Center, site of the just-opened Portland Auto Show. A text message from someone still on the ride confirmed that Critical Mass had morphed into a mobile dance party at the entrance of the Auto Show (see photo below).
(Photo by Mark Wheatly)
Friday’s ride will likely be considered a success: Good vibes were spread, bikers came together, there were no tickets issued and no car/bike incidents that I am aware of.
But, with just 60 people on a Critical Mass that was supposed to be a re-birth of the once huge ride, it seems fair to think that many Portlanders have moved on to other ways of showing that “bikes are traffic”.
For a few more photos, check out my photo gallery.